Three Dark Greens – The “Super Antioxidant”…Part 2 in the Series

Now that we know how important Kale is to our health, it’s time to introduce the second of the three Super Antioxidants – Watercress. While it isn’t the one most would think about, it is one of the Super Three of the Dark Greens. Many think of it as a decorative green or something that adorns other dishes. But in reality, it is one of the most healthy and quite tasty greens.

Not only is watercress extremely nutritious, it’s about as close as you can get to a calorie-free food. Calorie for calorie, it provides four times the calcium of 2 percent milk. Ounce for ounce, it offers as much vitamin C as an orange and more iron than spinach. It’s packed with vitamin A and has lots of vitamin K, along with multiple antioxidant carotenoids and protective phytochemicals.

The nutrients in WATERCRESS protect against cancer and macular degeneration, help build the immune system, and support bone health. The iron helps red blood cells carry oxygen to your body’s tissues for energy. The phytochemicals in watercress battle cancer in three ways: killing cancer cells, blocking carcinogens, and protecting healthy cells from carcinogens. They’ve also been shown to help prevent lung and esophageal cancer and can help lower your risk for other cancers.

In Chinese medicine, watercress is thought to help reduce tumors, improve night vision, and stimulate bile production (improving digestion and settling intestinal gas). It’s used as a remedy for jaundice, urinary difficulty, sore throat, mumps, and bad breath.

How much should you eat? Eat watercress daily if you can. In some regions, it’s more widely available during the spring and summer, when it’s cultivated outdoors. But since it can also be grown hydroponically in greenhouses, you can find it year-round in many grocery stores and at your local farmer’s market.

Tips:

You can cook it, but watercress is better for you when you eat it raw. Tuck it into a sandwich in place of lettuce.

Toss it with your favorite vegetables and eat it in a salad.

Watercress is great in pesto — just replace the basil with watercress — and soups.

Use watercress as a wonderfully detoxifying ingredient in a juice or smoothie.

There you have it – one of the most perfect green vegetables available today and most of us didn’t even take it seriously. Hopefully this has helped you to understand more about Watercress and its role as a Super Antioxidant. The third in our series of the “Dark Greens” is none other than the Superman food and it is also a Super Antioxidant, Spinach!

One Response to Three Dark Greens – The “Super Antioxidant”…Part 2 in the Series

Thanks, Brett. No, they’re actually failry easy to grow. They should be planted about 6-8 weeks before the last frost. In the Bay Area, planting them around February is ideal. They should produce peas until late May/early June.